Religion has always played a significant role in Pakistani society. It has remained a controlling force in public, private, educational, political, and even media spheres. In such a religiously focused society, there are many persons who exploit religion for personal benefit. In recent years, I've seen several celebrities using religious concepts to gain attention or to cover up their own errors. Celebrities are well aware of the fact that a religiously chained audience is highly emotional about it. To name a few, I'll start with Pakistani actor Hamza Ali Abbasi, who is one of the most well-known cases. After his "insightful remarks" about religion, he has remained at the Forefront for a long time. Hamza Ali Abbasi has remained the host of a Pakistani dancing show-Pakistan Star. He scolded a girl for dancing to an item song on the show, arguing that it was inappropriate to do so. In response to a query from a Co-host about what kind of songs she should dance to, he replied that she could dance to any music she wants except item songs. On another occasion, he became enraged because a boy was dancing without a shirt underneath his jacket, calling it vulgar and against our religious and social values. Some people tried to point out the hypocrisy and irrational component in his acts, but plenty of individuals backed him up since he was acting in the name of "religion", they claimed.
Moving on to another well-known actor, Feroz Khan, who was already famous when he stated that he would be leaving show business for the sake of Islam, to which he was greeted with a thunderous ovation. However, he declared his comeback to show business only a few months later, claiming that his Sheikh informed him that he should utilize this platform to preach religion. Ishqiya, Khuda Aur Muhabbat 3, Tich Button, and Ay Mushte Khaak are some of his recent works. Finally, Sadaf Kanwal and her husband Shehroz Sabzwari provide us with a recent example. Sadaf Kanwal is one of Pakistan's most bold and well-known supermodels. In one of her interviews, she and her husband make some controversial remarks against feminists. They preached to the audience about how a perfect wife should treat her husband as if he were a child, but when the interviewer asked Shehroz about his thoughts on the Sadaf item song, he said, "I love that she worked so hard and gave a beautiful performance." Some individuals sought to point out the problematic attitude here, but there were a lot of others who backed these two since they were portraying our "true Islamic culture", according to them. And, to cash in on this religious edge, Shehroz later commented on his Instagram story that those criticizing him are opposed to Islamic teachings. After that, he has suddenly become the national hero and flag-bearer of Islam.
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It begs the question of whether we are willing to accept any irrational action as legitimate just because it is done in the name of Islam. Why are we still unable to recognize that religion is a private and personal matter rather than a social and public responsibility? Do you believe that the behaviors committed by these celebrities are perfectly normal and justified, with no hint of a problem?
